En kritisk vän: En fallstudie av vilka roller som präglat svensk utrikespolitik under 2000-talet

Sammanfattning: This thesis examines which roles that have characterized Swedish foreign policy during the 21st century. The scientific method used is a discourse analysis in which 19 Statements of Foreign Policy, presented by four different Swedish Ministers for Foreign Affairs, have been analyzed. In the study, four roles have been sought after: the Mediator, the International critic, the Europeanized role and the Nordic role, all of which have been ascribed to represent Swedish foreign policy at different times. The study concludes that the role which mainly characterizes contemporary Swedish foreign policy is the Europeanized role, where Sweden acts as an advocate for European cooperation and the EU. Almost as prominent is the International critic, as Sweden often remarks on other actors’ behavior. The role as Mediator, which characterized Swedish foreign policy during the 1950s & 1960s is not found as prominent. The result indicates slight tendencies toward the Nordic role, where Sweden acts as a supporter of greater Nordic cooperation, becoming more prominent, but as of today the role is not to be considered notable. The thesis provides a better understanding of Swedish foreign policy as well as contributes to the scientific field of role theory.